A mum has warned parents about the sick new Snapchat bullying craze encouraging children to post “most vile abuse imaginable”.

The cruel new game begins when one child picks a victim. Others then start posting cruel insults about their weight, appearance and personality and compete with one another to come up with the worst possible insults, reports The Mirror.

Rachaele Hambleton, 34, was shocked when daughter Betsy, 12, told her about the new craze.

Rachaele told This Morning show “It was horrific; the words and description of people, they pick on anything, whether it’s bad skin, weight.

“And with teenager as well, it’s when they’re at their most unconfident with their body changing.

“She showed me what was happening and she was in shock.

“Someone called her a dumb blonde, it’s not too bad but not acceptable.

“She said, ‘I don’t want to get involved. If you want to involve me, don’t, I think it’s disgusting.'”

Rachaele, who has three daughters and two stepsons, wrote about the game in a viral Facebook post to warn other parents about the horrible trend. Her post has received over 40,000 reactions.

But she also revealed how Betsy bravely refused to take part.

Rachaele, who blogs as the Part-Time Working Mummy , wrote in her online letter to her daughter: “You came into the kitchen and showed me something that had left you upset and confused and I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it.

“You couldn’t understand why people you know and like were doing this and repeatedly showed me various names and comments whilst in shock at what was being written about them.

“You wrote your own story on Snapchat – telling everyone how disgusting this new game that they are playing is, you said how cruel and mean people are being and how you want no part in it.

“You’ve stood up to hundreds of teenagers, you’ve not followed suit or joined in with the crowds. I am so proud of you.”

“There’s so much peer pressure out there. Bullying is just endless now because of mobile phones.”

In a message to the bullies taking part in these games, Rachaele added: “Just stop it because people are taking their own lives because of this sort of thing – it’s that serious.”

The game – played over Snapchat with messages automatically deleting after 10 seconds – starts when someone sends another child the letter X.

That person then replies by picking the name of a victim.

All players must then compete to come up with horrible comments about that victim – and nothing is off limits, including their weight, appearance and personality.

Cyber Bullying Statistics in Australia via nobullying.com

Children do not only have to deal with bullying at school, but also online. The Internet has revolutionized social communication and interaction, and while much of it is benign, there are those who use the technology to cause emotional harm.

– Older students (or those with more access to technology) are more likely to cyber-bully than younger one.
– Over 80% of those who bullied others online would also do so offline.
– 84% of those who were bullied online were also victims of bullying behavior offline.
– A quarter of all cyber-bullies target people they do not even know.
– 64% of females from Years 6 to 12 reported being cyber-bullied.
– High cellphone usage makes cyber-bullying easier.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of bullying contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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